Foreign Territories
by cr8vgrl
Summary: “Do you even know what mascara is, darling?” Fred teased her. “Yes, I believe that it’s somewhere close to Africa, right?” she mocked. He rolled his eyes. "That's Madagascar." She shrugged. "Same difference. They're both foreign territories to me."


He'd been doomed since her fourth year. He'd been doomed since the day she walked down those stairs and had taken Viktor Krum's hand. He'd been doomed since she had smiled shyly at him and had tried not to appear like she was searching for his approval on her outfit. But he _definitely_ approved of the outfit.

However, she was off limits. She was after his younger brother, and he was forced to look away. He was forced to ignore every small detail about her that endeared her so much more to him. He was forced to forget the way she looked when she smiled at him, as well as the way his stomach clenched delightfully when she did.

Yes, Fred Weasley was _way_ over his head with this one, but that was the whole draw of Hermione Granger. She was the first girl (aside from his sister, who _so_ didn't count) that seemed to have a brain, and to use it to its fullest potential. He admired the way she did so, and the first time she caught him pulling a prank and let it slide…well, he fell a little harder. Because in that gesture, it showed that she cared slightly, very slightly, about him.

"Gred! Gred! Gred!!" a voice bellowed, jolting Fred out of his pleasant reverie. The prankster jumped in his seat, so startled that he dropped the book he was reading back onto the table in the library, causing the hall to reverberate with the echoing noise.

Madam Pince glared at the two boys, and George had the good sense to blush and looked down at the floor in a delightful display of shame that he did not feel in the slightest. "Sorry," he murmured to the outraged librarian and then dragged his brother out of the chair Fred was currently sitting and darted towards a section of the library where they wouldn't be overheard.

"Forge, you look like you've seen a ghost," Fred muttered, watching his twin, who was shifting emotions in between anger and excitement. "Spotted a basilisk or something?"

George ignored his brother with a roll of his eyes and shook his head. "No, it's actually worse than that."

"Really?" Fred asked, intrigued. Suddenly, a horrible thought seized him and he grabbed his twin by the shoulders. "It's not her, is it?"

George then gave him the worst indication he could ever have given. He nodded. "I think she needs you right now."

"Why me?" Fred asked, and then forced out cruelly, "Why not dear Ronald?" His tone indicated _exactly_ what he thought of "dear Ronald" when it came to Hermione Granger. At George's pause and expectant look, all the pieces fit together. "What did he do to her?"

George could see the rage rolling off his twin's outwardly-smooth countenance, but he didn't mention it. "He asked Lavender out right in front of her." George paused. "And Lavender said yes."

"I'll kill him!" Fred growled, lunging forward in an attempt to hurl himself towards the doors of the library, no doubt in order to go find his younger brother an beat him to a pulp.

George stopped his advance, though, and pushed Fred back to his former place, shaking his head as he went. "I wouldn't," he said carefully. "When I asked Hermione if she was okay, she started to cry and then said, 'I should've known that he would hurt me. Fred would never hurt me.' Then she'd realized what she'd said and ran away before I could stop her."

Fred's heart pounded in his chest. She finally understood! She realized that she had small feelings for him. Resolve strengthened him and he pushed his shoulders back. Small feelings could be built on, resulting in bigger feelings, and he was determined to do just that with Hermione Granger.

He pushed George away. "I'm alright now," he told him. "You can let go of me. I'll let our brother live another day, though he _really _doesn't deserve it."

George wisely let him go, but couldn't help but ask, "Where are you off to now?" though he was sure that he had a pretty good idea.

Fred turned back to his brother and smiled at him. "I'm off to make Hermione feel better. Don't expect me tonight."

George made a knowing face and Fred rolled his eyes. "Not _that_, you pervert! I meant that if she'll let me, I'm going to take her out tonight for dinner." He rolled his eyes again as he heard George laughing behind him. He ignored his brother, however, and continued back to the table he had been sitting at, gathering up his books and things and apologizing to Madam Pince for his delinquent brother. The librarian only huffed, but Fred continued on, too goal-oriented to care.

He made his way back to the Gryffindor common room, entering after muttering the password to the portrait. He bypassed the other Gryffindors in the common room, silently praising his younger brother for being wise enough _not_ to be among them. After passing through the common room, he made his way up to the girls' dorms, pausing since he was unsure which room Hermione slept in.

A bang at the end of the hall caught his attention and he saw his sister coming down the hall with a petulant look on her face. "Stupid brother of mine," she muttered darkly.

Fred pretended to reel back in mock hurt. "I beg your pardon? What have I done to deserve such a title from you, little sis?"

Ginny glanced up at him, surprised to see him there in the hallway. "Surprisingly," she told him dryly, "it's not you this time, it's my other brother."

Fred smirked, although he knew exactly which brother it was, and raised an eyebrow. "Care to be more specific. You have a few 'other' brothers."

"Ronald." The name came out of Ginny's mouth in a sort of growl, and Fred was mentally leaping with joy that he was not on the receiving end of her ire this time around.

"I heard," he said with his own nod. "I was on my way to see if I could make her feel better, but I don't know which dorm she lives in." He raised his eyebrow again. "Care to help me out?"

Ginny nodded to the door she had just come from. "She's in there. Good luck."

Without another word, Fred strode over to the door and knocked, hearing his sister's footsteps receding down the hallway. "Come in," came a muffled sob, and Fred guessed that Hermione thought that he was Ginny.

He opened the door and slipped inside, locking the door with a murmured spell. He smiled in satisfaction. His magic had gotten stronger. When he turned around, Hermione's face was buried in her pillow, her wavy hair taking on its former bushy effect due to the tossing and turning she had no doubt been doing.

There was no one else in the room, so Fred made good use of his time alone with Hermione and crossed the room to sit on the edge of her bed. His hand moved on its own accord and gently began to rub her shoulder. Hermione's eyes popped open and Fred's stomach tightened to see those beautiful eyes of hers so red and bloodshot from crying.

"Fred," she whispered, her voice ragged from crying, and probably screaming, into her pillow.

"Hey," he said softly, unsure how to proceed. _Hermione, I've been in love with you for years now, but I always thought that you were off limits because of my idiot of a brother, so now that he's dumped you and broken your heart, will you go out with me?_ Oh yeah. That would work just _perfectly_. Fred ignored his own sarcasm and went on, "I'm so sorry, Mione."

That seemed to send Hermione off into another fit of crying, but what surprised Fred more was the fact that she launched herself at him, holding him tightly while she sobbed into his chest. He recovered quickly, though, and shifted to move Hermione's body into a more comfortable position, stroking her hair and kissing the top of her head all the while. She smelled absolutely wonderful!

"What are you doing here?" she sniffled, seeming to finally realize that a boy was in her room, holding her, and letting her wet his shirt with her tears for no apparent reason.

Fred grinned brightly. "I'm taking you out to dinner," he said simply. The words, and the easiness with which they flew out of his mouth, astonished even him, and both their eyes widened for a moment. He, however, did not regret what he had said in the least. After the initial shock wore off, a smile spread across his face as he waited for Hermione's answer.

_The _Hermione Granger actually stuttered when she answered. "I-I," she began, but then her shoulders drooped and she sighed, defeated by an emotion she couldn't explain to herself, much less put into words.

Fred, however, seemed to understand and he pulled Hermione back into a tight hug, wishing for all the world that she was his so that he could pull her close and kiss away her problems. When he pulled away, leaving her confused by his gesture of friendship, Fred said, "Look, I know my brother's a major jerk, but not all of the Weasleys are like that. Trust me. Just one night and I guarantee you'll feel better."

His smile and happy tone were contagious and Hermione couldn't help but manage a weak smile. "Just one? You promise?"

Fred wasn't sure how he stayed so calm on the outside, because on the inside his mind was whirling with a thousand different joyous exclamations, but he simply nodded and tugged gently on a wavy curl (pretending not to hear Hermione's quiet gasp) and nodded. "Promise," he said.

He had expected her to analyze the situation, examine every facet of his proposal, but she only asked, "What time should I be ready?"

He didn't bother to question her, to ask if she had cried so long that her brain was actually mixed up and was confusing him, even now, for Ron. He simply said, "How about five thirty?"

She nodded and tried to sit up. "I'll be ready," she said.

"Great!" Fred gave her a brilliant smile and stood, pulling one of her curls gently (and loving hearing her gasp again) before he asked, "And would you mind getting slightly dressed up?"

Hermione seemed to pause, thinking about this. "Dressed up?" she repeated, as though she hadn't quite heard him.

Fred's mouth twitched into another smile and he gave her a look that clearly showed he was teasing, attempting to cheer her up. "Do you even _know_ what mascara is, darling?"

Hermione's breath caught again upon the word "darling," but she managed to smile, her heart lifting at the teasing as she replied mockingly, "Yes, I believe that it's somewhere close to Africa, right?"

Fred tried not to laugh. Even terribly upset, Hermione Granger was a quick thinker. "No, that's Madagascar," he said dryly.

Hermione shrugged. "Same thing," she said, a true grin actually flying across her face now. "They're both foreign territories to me." Fred laughed. "However," she told him, dragging out the word, "I'll see what I can do for you." The emphasis she put on "for you" made his heart beat even faster.

"Great," he told her. "See you later."

Hermione sat in shock until the door closed and she could no longer see Fred's smiling face. Her heart pounded in her throat, competing with the crying-induced headache to see which could pound harder. Even after all these years of waiting for Ron to see her as a girl, waiting for Ron to ask her on a date, waiting for Ron to…hurt her once again, her heart still hammered away with unspeakable joy whenever Fred was around.

But could she actually do it? Could she turn away from Ron, the only person that she had ever let her interest be known about? _"He made his choice,"_ she thought, feeling a stinging pain of betrayal that quickly eased when she decided, _"now it's time to make mine."_

* * *

George was having so much fun with this. Good grief! This was almost as good as blackmail. "Fred," he said calmly. "Not only are you blocking my heat, but you're also going to wear a hole in the carpet."

Fred stopped pacing in front of the fire and moved away so that the heat could reach George, taking the hint and sitting down next to his twin. "Sorry," he said.

He lifted his hand to run his fingers through his hair in a nervous motion, but George slapped the offending digits away. "Don't," he told his brother. "I finally got your hair just the right way. You're not messing it up now just because you're worried that she's a minute late." He chuckled at the joke. "One minute, Fred! She'll be here! Relax!"

Almost as if on cue, a shadow appeared at the top of the steps and Hermione fluttered down. Fred's breath caught in his throat as he caught sight of the casual blue dress she wore along with the white heels. She gave a nervous tug on her little white jacket, and Fred realized that he must have been staring. He grinned up at her. "You ready?" he asked.

Hermione nodded, trying to pointedly ignore the fact that he looked stunningly handsome in dress jeans, and blue shirt that brought out the rich red in his hair, and muggle shoes. "Yes," she said, nodding and causing the carefully arranged curls to bounce slightly as she did so.

Fred stepped forward and gallantly offered her his arm. She took it was a smile and waved goodbye to George as they exited the portrait and disappeared into the night. George shook his head ruefully as he watched the portrait swing closed. "Wicked," he muttered happily.

* * *

Fred, meanwhile, was carefully guiding Hermione through Hogwarts unseen, smiling happily as she let out small, happy gasps whenever he pulled her into a secret passageway to avoid being spotted. He led her through one especially long passageway and they found themselves in Hogsmead. "That…wasn't so…bad, was it?" Fred asked, leaning against the vacant counter of Honeydukes.

Hermione was unable to respond at that moment, so she settled for simply shaking her head. Finally, she was able to gasp out a small, "No."

Fred grinned and tugged her sleeve lightly. "Come on," he said. "We have reservations."

He refused to tell her exactly where they were going, but Hermione soon found herself seated across from Fred at one of Hogsmead's newest restaurants, pouring over her intricate menu by _lumos_ light. "I don't know how you did it!" she exclaimed quietly, glancing around in wonder at the cozy, courting atmosphere. "Don't you have to make reservations weeks in advance?"

Fred shrugged, wondering if Hermione was purposely avoiding acknowledging the fact that this was a restaurant that witches and wizards came on dates, or if she truly didn't understand the hopeful implications behind such a gesture. "I know one of the owners. George and I pulled a prank for him and he owed us a favor. George told me to tell you that you now own _him_ one."

Hermione laughed and said, "I'll find a way to make it up to George." She turned to look at the menu, and then something caught her eye that hadn't before. _Everything_ on the menu was extremely expensive. She hated to be so cliché, but she had to say something, so she leaned forward once more, her tone barely above a whisper. "Fred, this place is really expensive."

Fred knew immediately what she was trying to say. She wanted to know if everything was alright, if he was sure he wanted to spend this much money on her, considering how his family was rather poor. And she asked all of that without injuring his Weasley pride. He shook his head. "Don't worry about it. I've got it covered."

Hermione wisely said nothing else, but her expression clearly said that she wanted answers later. Fred sighed. Did he want to tell her that he was spending every galleon he possessed on this dinner tonight, plus doing extra work on the weekend to pay for one lumos-lighted meal? Absolutely not, but he had a feeling that she would drag it out of him, and then she would be right there along with him, doing obscene chores like washing dishes the muggle way!

A waiter attended to them and then Hermione rested her elbows on the table as though getting ready for a long-winded conversation. Uh oh. Here it comes. "Why are you doing all this?" she asked, right on cue. "I mean, not that it isn't lovely and all, but really?"

Fred sat back, running a hand awkwardly through his hair, momentarily forgetting all the time George had spent helping him style it. "Um," he began. So much for smooth! He let out another sigh and decided to launch right into his explanation. He had nothing to lose right now. "Hermione, I've liked you for years now, but I've never done anything about it because you wanted Ron. When George told me what he'd done this afternoon, all I wanted to do was to make you feel better." He dipped his head. "I know you probably don't like me the same way, but I thought I could at least cheer you up with dinner."

The silence was worse than he had ever imagined it to be. All around him, people were engaging in conversation, but he couldn't hear them. His ears were straining for Hermione's voice, and only Hermione's. Finally, she spoke, and what she said nearly bowled him over.

"I like you too."

His head jerked up. "Pardon?" he asked, his eyebrows nearly disappearing into his hair.

Hermione smiled broadly and repeated herself. "I like you too." She reached over in a bold move and placed her small hand on top of Fred's larger one. "I never said anything because I thought that I was just your younger brother's friend. If I had known, I wouldn't have wasted so many tears on Ronald."

Ooh! He knew that Ron was in trouble when she used "Ronald." However, he was too ecstatic. "Brilliant," he murmured, squeezing her hand slightly. Their food arrived at that moment and so they focused on the meal. Fred was sure that this dinner was worth every single dish he might have to wash later on.

When the meal regretfully came to an end, Fred helped Hermione stand, nodded to their waiter, and gave the owner a thumbs up to tell him that his dinner had not only gone better than he could have imagined it, but also that he hadn't forgotten about his bargain. The owner nodded back and smiled.

They took their time returning to Honeydukes, in no hurry to get back to Hogwarts, or to part from one another. Hesitantly, Hermione's hand found Fred's, and he eagerly took it without asking questions. "You know," he said conversationally, "I really owe George for this. He told me what you said earlier today about me, and that's why I decided to ask you out."

Hermione blushed. "Good old George," she murmured. "I seem to owe him a lot."

They slipped into the candy store and sneaked into the cellar, disappearing back into the One-eyed Witch Passageway with barely a sound. As they ran along the corridor, Fred snuck glances at Hermione, and realized that she was doing the same with him. A sudden thought inspired him to stop and pull her to a halt right before they found themselves back in Hogwarts.

"What's wrong?" she asked, worried.

He shook his head to reassure her. "Nothing," he said, taking a step closer. "Hermione," he said softly, his eyes taking in her angelic face. She looked up at him with the same look on her face and he lowered his lips to hers, giving her time to pull away, to say that she didn't want him to be her first kiss. But instead of hesitating, she sealed their lips together with a quick head movement upwards, and he taught her how to kiss.

How long they stood there, him gently pressing her against the stone wall, they had no idea. They only knew that it felt perfectly right, and that it sealed their destinies together. When Fred finally pulled away, slightly breathless, but terribly happy, he realized just _how_ much he owed George.

"Does this mean that we're a couple?" she asked quietly, looking up at him through her lashes as though she couldn't quite believe what she had just done.

Fred grinned down at her. "Well, I've always wanted a girlfriend. The title's yours if you want it." He winked at her. "My heart comes with the title, though, so be warned."

She smiled and ran her hand through his hair once more, whispering, "I'll take my chances."

With yet another smile, Fred led her silently through Hogwarts, glad that she had taken off her heels so that they wouldn't click against the floors, and saw her safely back into the Gryffindor common room, completely ignoring the chastisements from the portrait upon their entrance.

Unwillingly, Hermione disentangled herself from Fred and reached up to give him a soft, almost whispering kiss. "I should get to bed," she said softly, her breath tickling his cheek.

He nodded, though he was as unwilling to let her go as she was to leave. "I'll see you tomorrow," he told her. "You're sitting by me for breakfast."

She nodded. "Deal. Good night, Fred."

She turned to ascend the stairs, and he couldn't help calling out to her. "Mione?"

She turned, her beautiful brown eyes lighting up with curiosity. "Yes?"

He grinned, the trademark Weasley smirk plastered across his face. "That Madagascar looks really good on you."

Hermione rolled her eyes at his mocking tone and she replied, "Fred, that's somewhere by Africa. It's mascara I'm wearing."

Fred shrugged his shoulders and winked once more before he disappeared to his dorms. "Same difference. They're both foreign territories to me."

**A/N: Well? I hoped you all liked this. Fred and Hermione aren't my "all time favorite" pairing, but I think that if Ron wasn't around, Fred would be great for her. Anyways, please review, and thanks so much for reading! :D**


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